A Farm Grows in Dorchester

Today members of the down:2:earth team took a field trip to reVision Urban Farm, we met with Matt Kochka, the farm manager who was kind enough to answer some of our questions and gave us a little tour. Arriving at the farm we saw a vast patch of land covered with green vegetables, this scene contrasted with the Dorchester triple deckers surrounding the plot and the McMansions that are being constructed just a block away. Farms in town – what a concept!

The main mission of the farm is to give shelter and hope to pregnant and parenting homeless women. Matt said that the average stay lasts from six to eighteen months. With that mission in mind, they have managed to do so much more than give hope. They grow organic food that is then sold to locals at discount prices, benefiting the local community. The woman staying at the house can help tend to the garden and gain important working skills. The food served at the house is healthy. Local volunteers can gain a greater sense of community and experience an urban farm. reVision is able to earn 20% of it’s funding from the sales of produce.

After noting the significance of this income, Matt pointed out that they still need donations from individuals and labor from volunteers to survive. NOTE: Wednesdays are a great day to volunteer a few hours at the farm. Since they sell their produce on Thursdays, Wednesdays are busy preparing and much help is needed. Nathalie and Lorelei are looking into their busy urban schedules to see if they can get down to their roots once a week.

The farm grows collards, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, rasberries, carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale. They also have two green houses where we found Rachel Cory, their intern for the summer. We interrupted her while she was thinning seeds to plant mustard and lettuce. She is currently attending Bryan Mawr, enrolled in a program called Growth and Structure of cities, where she learns about issues of urban planning, economics and sociology. (Phew – someone is looking into this!) Her internship has been six months long and she said that she has enjoyed it very much.

Rachel and Matt both like having the opportunity to reach out to the community. The work they do at the farm is complicated in some ways, but in others it seems so fundamental. With the rise in food prices and health issues from pesticides and processed foods, this farm seems like a no-brainer. Why is it so unique? Well, it is a bit complicated and someone has to run it and fund it. If you want to donate – the parent organization is Victory Programs. You can donate right on their website.

We were very inspired by the initiative at the farm, which has been around for over a decade. We hope to go back in a couple of weeks and volunteer at the farm. Matt said that volunteers are always welcomed and participation is encouraged. You learn skills on how to grow your vegetables, and learn valuable life skills that benefit those that are interested in sustainability. And of course, you are part of a community when you volunteer. You meet interesting people and expand your world.

Tags: Add new tag, boston, community, farm, Food, organic, pregnant

Eco-friendly Dry cleaning

Sustainable Tip of the Week:
Don’t dry-clean all your clothes!

Sounds bizzare I know, I didn’t want to believe it either especially because many of us are so reliant on these services. I don’t intend to persuade you to stop using dry cleaning services altogether, but rather persuade you to use eco-friendly dry cleaners. You may want to after you learn of the effects dry cleaning has on our environment and your health.

Here are the facts:

• Of the 35,000 dry cleaning business in the U.S. 85% still use the toxic solvent perchloroethylene (perc) known to cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and which has been linked to reproductive problems, as well as disorders of the central nervous system.

• International Agency for Research in Cancer has labeled perc a probable human carcinogen, as has the EPA in a recent Cleaner Technology Substitutes Assessment.
  

Alternatives and Why They’re Better:

Liquid CO2 is created by obtaining CO2 emissions from previous industrial and agricultural processes and putting them under high pressure until it compresses into liquid form. CO2 is an abundant and renewable resource, and its production does not contribute to global warming.
In liquid form, it carries biodegradable soaps as water does in a washing machine. Once the process is over, the CO2 turns back into a gas and over 90% of it is reused.

Unfortunately, this process is more expensive than traditional dry cleaning, and even though the machines used save a business money by requiring fewer employees to use it, businesses are reluctant to buy and utilize the machines because they cost over double what traditional dry cleaning machines cost. The biggest proponent of liquid CO2 cleaning is a company called Hangers which has franchises all over the country.

Wet-cleaning uses water and non-toxic, biodegradable detergents to clean fabrics. It is a straightforward process to perform, but because the process uses just water and soap, more time and skill is needed to clean the clothes effectively and carefully. Some of the waste products, such as steam, get reused later in the process. Wet-cleaning is less expensive than other “green” dry-cleaning methods such as CO2 cleaning.

GreenEarth (liquid silicone dry cleaning solution) is the brand name for a liquid silicone dry cleaning solution. Silicone is a naturally occurring substance, primarily in the compound form SiO2, or sand. Silicone is used in many other consumer products such as shampoo, soap, and lotion. After it’s been used, the silicone decomposes into three natural substances: sand, water, and carbon dioxide. The process has done very well in consumer satisfaction reviews and isn’t exceedingly expensive. People like that their clothes come out odorless, softer, and the colors seem more vibrant.

“Organic” Cleaners- Many dry cleaners try to market themselves as environmentally friendly by calling themselves “organic.” However, this doesn’t mean they’re actually being green. Some “organic” dry cleaners are trying to be more eco-conscious, but the solvent they use is still very harmful. The most common “organic” dry cleaning agent is DF-2000. It is less toxic than perc, but it is petroleum-based and it contributes to global warming. Under this process, the clothes are cleaned with DF-2000 vapor, so the clothes never get wet. This saves energy because the clothes don’t need to be dried but the agent itself isn’t very eco-friendly.

Here is a list of some Places Around Boston that are Eco-Friendly Cleaners:

Corner Cleaners
1301 Washington St. Newton,
MA 02162 Phone: 617-969-1711

Moonie’s Cleaners
233 Bowdoin St. Dorchester,
MA 02122 Phone: 617-282-1046

Natick Cleaners
13 Watson St. Natick,
MA 01760 Phone: 508-655-8200

Kelly Green Cleaners
266 Hyde Park Ave. Jamaica Plain,
MA 02130 Phone: 617-522-5961

Bush Cleaners
0219 Newbury St,
Boston MA 02116

Clevergreen Cleaners
Beacon Hill
109 Charles street
Boston, MA 02114 617-523-6925

If you go to any of these dry cleaners drop us a line and let us know what you think of their services.

Until next time.

Sustainably yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Tags: boston, CO2, dry cleaning, organic, personal care, wet-cleaning